Winding and hand-setting stem arrangement in a watchcase



ug. 30, 1966 E. MORF 3,269,107'

wINDING AND HAND-SETTING STEM ARRANGEMENT 1N A wATcHcAsE Filed June 5,1965 EIEZ ERA/57 MO/2F ATTRNEKS United States Patent O 3,269,107 WINDINGAND HAND-SETTING STEM ARRANGEMENT IN A WATCHCASE Ernest Morf, Vaudijon,Colombier, Neuchatel, Switzerland Filed June 3, 1965, Ser. No. 460,906Claims priority, application Switzerland, June 4, 1964, 7 ,267/ 64 4Claims. (Cl. 58-63) This invention relates to watches with a winding andhand-setting stem made in two pieces and in particular to watches withsuch a stem wherein one stern piece is carried by the watch movement andthe other stem piece by the watchcase.

The two pie-ces of the known stems of this type have heretofore beenpositioned in the watch movement and the watchcase, respectively, sothat they were coaxial. Moreover, with the known watches these two stempieces are usually connected to veach other as well known to thoseskilled in the art by clutching means which can 'be unclutched bypulling the control crown xed to the outer stem piece carried by thewatchcase, and which can be clutched -again by merely pushing thiscontrol crown after having positioned the outer. stem piece adequately.The two stem pieces have substantially the same diameter. At theiradjoining ends these two stem pieces are provided, the one, with atransverse lodging and a slot extending from that lodging to the end ofsaid stem piece in a diametrical plane thereof passing through the axisof said transverse lodging and the other one, with an elongatedprojection which is perpendicular to the axis of this stern piece andwhich has sizes corresponding to the transverse lodging of the firststem piece, said projection being connected to the body of the secondstem piece by a web.

With the watches which are particularly provided with a self-windingmechanism comprising a winding weight arranged for making completerevolutions around the watch movement, the winding and hand-setting stemis positioned at such a place of the movement that it is nearer to thedial side than to the bridge side thereof. With the known watchescomprising a winding and han-dsetting stem made in one piece as well aswith the known watches wherein this stem comprises two coaxial pieces,this particular arrangement of the stem in the watch movement has as afirst consequence that the watchcase manufacturer must either make thewatchcase thicker than required by the sizes of the watch movement oruse a crown for controlling the stem, which has an exceedingly smalldiameter, if he will avoid that the crown protrudes above the uppersurface of the watchcase.

With watchcases having moreover a metallic section made in one piece andforming thus both the watchcase bottom and the case-band, the glassbeing removably secured to this metallic section by means of aperipheral glass rim pressed by a strengthening ring against acylindrical lodging wall of the metallic watchcase section, theparticular stem arrangement mentioned above has the additional drawbackthat the glass peripheral rim cannot deeply extend in the metallicse-ction of the watchcase from the upper inner edge thereof because ofthe winding and hand-setting stem, so that the watchcase has again to bemade thicker than required, in order to provide a wall therein above thestem passage with a sufficient height for retaining the glasssatisfactorily.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a watch having awatchcase with sizes closely adapted to those of the watch movementwhile avoiding any increase of these sizes due to the arrangement of thestem in the watch movement.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a watch ICC having awatchcase with sizes closely adapted to those of the watch movementwhile avoiding any moditication of the watch movement as regards thearrangement of the winding and hand-setting stem therein.

A specific object of the invention is to provide a watch with a windingand hand-setting stem made in two pieces in which the stem piece carriedby the watchcase is located in an inclined position with respect toaplane perpendicular to the watchcase axis.

Still a more specic object of the invention is to provide a watch with awinding and hand-setting stem made in two pieces whereby the stem piececarried by the watchcase is located in a position having an inclinationranging from 10 to 20 with respect to a plane perpendicular to thewatchcase axis.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a watch with awinding and hand-setting stem made in two pieces in which the two stempieces are connected to each other by the same means and in the same wayas with the known watches in which the two stem pieces are coaxial.

Still further .objects of the invention will become apparent in thecourse of thefollowing description.

Two embodiments of the watch according to the invention are representeddiagrammatically and by way of example in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a part diametrical sectional view of the rst embodiment, and

FIG. l2 is a similar view of the second embodiment.

The two watches represented in the drawings consist both of roundwrist-watches, which are similar to a large extent.

Each comprises a watch movement 1 to which a dial 2 is secured, thewatch movement 1 being located in a watchcase comprising a metallicsection 3, 3a constituting both the watchcase bottom and the case-band,a glass 4 being removably secured to the metallic section 3, 3a by meansof a strengthening ring 55 radially pressing a peripheral glass rim 6against a cylindrical surface 7 of the metallic section 3, 3a. Thestrengtheni-ng ring 5 simultaneously serves to maintain the watchmovement 1 axially in place without metallic watchcase section bybearing on the periphery of dial 2. Each of the two watches representedin the drawings moreover comprises a winding and hand-setting stem madein two pieces. The iirst inner stem piece 8 is carried in the usual andwell known manner by the watch movement 1 and the second outer stempiece 9, 9a is carried by the metallic ysection 3, 3a of the watchcaseby means of a pipe 10, 10a secured to the metallic watchcase section 3,3a and of a crown 11, 11a iixed to the stem piece 9, 9a and comprisingan annular yieldable gasket 12, 12a tightly encompassing the pipe 10,10a.

As well known to those skilled in the art with the watches which areparticularly provided with a self-winding mechanism including a windingweight capable of carrying out unlimited rotary motions around the watchmovement, the location of the winding and hand-setting stern in themovement 1 is positioned nearer to the watch movement face on the dialside than to the watch movement face on the bridge or bottom side. Whilethe location of the winding and hand-setting stem of the watch improvedaccording to the invention is chosen so that the inner ste-m piece 8 isperpendicular to the watch axis, the pipe 10, 10a is secured to themetallic watchcase section 3, 3a in an inclined position so that thestem piece 9, 9a extending coaxial to and within Ipipe 10, 10a will also-be located in an inclined position with respect to a planeperpendicular to the watch axis.

In spite of the inclined position of stem piece 9, 9a, the two stempieces are nevertheless clutched to each other by a male element of stempiece 8 comprising an elongated projection 13 being perpendicular to theaxis of piece 8, and a female element provided on piece 9, 9a .andcomprising a transverse lodging 14 perpendicular to the axis of piece 9,9a, as with the known watches wherein the two ste-m pieces are coaxial.With respect to those known watches the transverse lodging 14 needs onlybe made with somewhat larger sizes so that projection 13 may be insertedinto lodging 14 with a sufficient play. If the inclination of stem piece9, 9a Idoes not exceed 20, rthe clutching elements disclosed operatelike a universal joint, so that the control crown 11, 11a may beactuated without any difficulty.

The inclination of stem piece 9, 9a will preferably be chosen so as torange from to 20. With an inclination of 15 the bottom face of the glasslodging in the 4metallic watchcase section 3, 3a of wrist-watch for mencan be arranged on a level located about .02 lower than with the knownwatches with the same sizes comprising either a winding and hand-settingstern made in one piece or a stem made in two coaxial pieces. The spacespared in height for the glass lodging is obviously the more important,the nearer the glass lodging is located to the outer side surface of themetallic watchcase section 3, 3a. In addition to the advantage of thespared place, the inclined position of the stem piece 9, 9a has in thefirst embodiment (FIG. l), still the advantage that the control crown 11can be arranged substantially in the middle of the space comprised inheight between the .uppermost and the lowermostsurfaces of the metallicwatchcase section 3, thus using this space to the greatest possibleextent in order to give the crown 11 a diameter which is substantiallylarger than that of the crown which should be fixed to an outer stempiece being coaxial to the stem piece 8, if one desired to prevent thiscrown from protruding above theinclined surface 15 of Vsection 3 to suchan extent that the crown would be gripped by foreign bodies and would inparticular injure the clothes arms of the watch owner.

The inclined position of the `outer stem piece has an additionaladvantage which is still more important with watches in which thecontrol crown entirely extends within a lodging of the metallicwatchcase section when it is in winding position. The second embodiment(FIG. 2) shows that the lodging 16 for the crown 11a can be provided inthe metallic watchcase section 3a with sufficient sizes in order toreceive a crown of a relatively large diameter without interfering withthe upper surface 15a of section 3a. It will be nally observed in FIG. 2lthat even the conical outer surface 17 of crown 11a does not projectout of lodging 16, because of the inclination of stem piece 9a. Due tothat inclination the watch can thus be provided with a relatively largecrown which is nevertheless wholly dissimulated and which can, moreover,easily be actuated. Due to the reduced thickness of the watchcase `andthe large diameter of the crown, the latter has indeed a relativelylarge part protruding on the bottom side -of the watch, thusfacilitating both actuating the crown in winding position and pullingthe same into hand-setting position.

Although I have described in detail two embodiments of my invention,various changes in the sizes, shape and arrangement of parts will appear-ofbvious to those skilled in the art within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Iclaim:

1. A watch comprising, in combination, a substantially :flat watchcasehaving an axis perpendicular thereto, a watch movement located in saidwatchcase, a first winding and hand-setting stern piece carried by saidwatch movement and being perpendicular to the watchcase axis, and lasecond winding and hand-setting stem piece carried by said watchcase andbeing connected to said first winding and hand-setting stem piece fortransmitting motion thereto upon actuating the second winding andhand-setting stem piece, said second winding and handsetting stem piecebeing located in an inclined position with respect to a planeperpendicular to the watchcase axis.

2. A watch comprising, in combination, a substantially fiat watchcasehaving an axis perpendicular thereto, a watch movement located in saidwatchcase, a first winding and hand-setting stem piece carried by saidwatch movement and being perpendicular to the watchcase axis, and :asecond Winding and hand-setting stem piece carried by said watchcase andbeing connected to said first winding and hand-setting stem piece fortransmitting motion thereto upon a-ctuating thel second winding andhandsetting stem piece, said second winding and handsetting stem piecebeing located in a position having an inclination ranging from 10 t-o 20with respect to a plane perpendicular to the watchcase axis.

3. A watch comprising, in combination: a substantially flat watchcasehaving an axis perpendicular thereto rand comprising a metallic sec-tionforming 'both the watchcase 'bottom and :a case-band surrounding awa-tch movement space, and a glass constituting together with saidmetallic section a closed envelope; a watch movement located in saidwatch movement space and having a dial side facing said glass and abridge side facing the watchcase bottom; a first winding yandhand-setting stem piece arranged in said Watch movement for rotarymotion in a position perpendicular to the watchcase axis and beinglocated nearer to the dial side of said watch movement than to thebridge side thereof; Vand -a second winding and hand-setting stem piecehaving one end removably connected to said first winding andhand-setting stern piece for transmitting motion thereto and extendingoutwards from said watch movement towards the bottom side thereof in aninclined position with respect to a plane perpendicular to the watchcaseaxis, said second winding tand hand-setting stern piece being mountedfor rotary motion on said metallic watchcase section and extendingthrough an opening provided across the caseband thereof,

4. A watch comprising, in combination, a substantially at watchcasehaving an axis perpendicular thereto, a watch movement located in saidwatchcase, a rst winding and hand-setting stem piece carried by saidwatch movement and being perpendicular to the watchcase axis, and asecond winding and hand-setting stem piece carried by said watchcase andbeing located in an inclined position with respect to a planeperpendicular to the watchcase axis, one of said wind-ing andhand-setting stem pieces being provided with a transverse lodging at itsend adjoining the other winding and hand-setting stem piece, and saidother winding and hand-setting stem piece carrying lan elongatedtransverse projection extending with play within the transverse lodgingof said one winding and handsetting stem piece, thereby connecting bothstem pieces to each other for transmitting motion from said secondwinding and hand-setting stem piece to said -first winding 'andhand-setting stem piece upon actuating said second winding andhand-setting stem piece.

No references cited.

LOUIS I. CAPOZI, Primary Examiner.

1. A WATCH COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT WATCHCASEHAVING AN AXIS PERPENDICULAR THERETO, A WATCH MOVEMENT LOCATED IN SAIDWATCHCASE, A FIRST WINDING AND HAND-SETTING STEM PIECE CARRIED BY SAIDWATCH MOVEMENT AND BEING PERPENDICULAR TO THE WATCHCASE AXIS, AND ASECOND WINDING AND HAND-SETTING STEM PEICE CARRIED BY SAID WATCHCASE ANDBEING CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST WINDING AND HAND-SETTING STEM PIECE FORTRANSMITTING MOTION THERETO UPON ACTUATING THE SECOND WINDING ANDHAND-SETTING STEM PIECE, SAID SECOND WINDING AND HANDSETTING STEM PIECEBEING LOCATED IN AN INCLINED POSITION WITH RESPECT TO A PLANEPERPENDICULAR TO THE WATCHCASE AXIS.